


Let's Be Still

by lovelylittleavocado



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, F/M, Falling In Love, Gen, Love, Mari you too that ladybug sass follows you into any au, Realization, They r in LOVE, adrien your chat noir is going to be showing and I'm sorry, but happy none the less, fluff out my butt, happy feelings with some poo butt chloe, love love love, precious babies, shamelessly of course
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-09
Updated: 2016-05-22
Packaged: 2018-06-07 08:46:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6797212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovelylittleavocado/pseuds/lovelylittleavocado
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A work of pure fluff in which there’s a school dance and my babies notice each other.<br/>*whispers* Notice me senpai.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Walking up the concrete steps of Françoise Dupont, seeing the building draped in the dusk lighting, delivered the feeling of a hazy dream that isn’t remembered but still manages to incite déjà vu. Unlike the clear morning, which allowed the school to be seen as the boring establishment that it was, the fading orange glow that came with the promise of night gave the building the guise of being something apart from itself. Something more… magical. Narrowing her gaze slightly Marinette could see that inside the double doors of the school there were sweeping blue and green lights, the occasional bright white spotlight making its appearance known. As she drew in a deep breath, gathering her courage to open the doors and enter into territory she had not yet encountered, Mari felt a squeeze on her hand. Alya, her doubtless best friend, stood beside her looking like an Amazonian queen. The tan and taut girl was draped in a gold dress that she had picked up at a bargain store and later asked Mari to modify. The gown stopped just above the knee and pulled in at the waist, the gold shimmering and dropping as though it were burning and melting in front of her very eyes. The top half was sleeveless and held the same liquified shining quality as it wrapped around to an open back, a silk golden bow adorning the top of the opening like a Christmas wreath. 

“C’mon Mari, let’s go show ‘em what we’re made of.” Alya swung her hip into Marinette’s, bumping her to the left and prompting a laugh which sucked away at the tension.

“It’ll be all good Mer-bear! We are two rockin’ queens who are about to get their dance on!! And,” she gave her friend a wink, “Nino’s promised me a  _ special  _ dance.”

Marinette opened her mouth with a wide smile. “Alya that’s! That’s!”

“Pretty great, I know.”

The two girls laughed one last time as they pushed the doors open, entering into the building that held what was soon to be discovered as anything but an ordinary dance.

* * *

 

From the moment he had stepped onto the dance floor of their Spring Formal Chloe had cornered Adrien, growling at any girl who dared to step within five feet of them. She leaned on him with her full weight and pulled at the lapels of his inky tux, her heavily eyeshadow clad eyes trying to pierce him with sheer force. Adrien held his hands is the air, hovering them over Chloe’s back, not wanting to give her any more contact than that which she was forcibly taking from him. He cast a sidelong look at Nino, doing his best to scream _help me_ with his eyes, but his friend just shrugged him off in defeat as he leaned against the dj booth, nervously awaiting Alya. 

Adrien cleared his throat, coming to the conclusion that if anyone was going to save him…. It would have to be him. He was no damsel in distress. 

“Uh, look Chlo.” Chloe lifted her head off of his chest, leering at him as though he were finally going to propose marriage. Adrien cleared his throat again, the level of comfort within him falling through the floor to die.

“Chloe, I really need to, um. Use the bathroom! Yeah. And you obviously can’t, you know,  _ follow me  _ into the bathroom. So if you could just,” he pushed her further off of him with each syllable, remarkably able to unclench her solid grip. “That’s great. Yeah. I just need a minute to um, yeah. Just gonna.” Once she was completely unlatched Adrien turned tail and ran, weaving through the crowd until he was sure he had safely lost her. 

Peering around the large gym, decorated to match their “under the sea” theme, Adrien spotted Chloe harassing a small group of girls at a corner table alongside Sabrina. That would keep her busy for quite some time. Feeling comfortable to roam Adrien maneuvered through the crowd of dancing peers once more, this time with ease, making his way to where Nino was still standing, trying to convince the hired dj to play something more techno punk pop (as he described it). 

“Bro! Finally! Glad to see that you shed Medusa over there from your person.”

Adrien cocked an eyebrow. “Medusa?”

“Yeah. Because whenever anyone would come close to you two she would turn them to stone. Literally. With her eyes.” Nino exaggerated his point by making wiggly finger movements in front of his eyes that were supposed to be “Medusa’s laser beam vision”. Adrien laughed at his friend until he noticed Nino’s hands slowly drop to his sides, his jaw losing slack until his mouth was opened completely. His eyes had gone as wide as saucers, forcing Adrien to turn out of sheer curiosity so that he could see what had caused this uncharacteristically momentous change in his friend. 

Spinning on his heels with hands shoved in their pockets Adrien spotted what had caught Nino’s attention, forcing Adrien to involuntarily draw in a sharp breath. Alya was standing in the entranceway of the dance looking like a picture of gold. But that wasn’t what had caught Adrien’s attention. No, it was something much more miraculous. Every word he’d ever learned was suddenly caught in his throat, followed by his heart dropping down into his stomach. Standing beside Alya was a flower blossoming before his very eyes.

Marinette. Quiet, floundering Marinette who was prone to a rising blush and a stutter, yet at the same time could follow that stutter with an act of outrageous heroics. Marinette, who would always stand up for what’s right and just and had a laugh like an angel. Marinette, who was the most genuinely nice person Adrien had ever encountered. How had he not noticed her before this moment? Everything she had always been, always would be, always right there for him to see. Every quirk and beautiful characteristic of her person was laid before him every day and somehow it had all waited to flood him at this very moment.

She was a vision, and every second he took her in was another second Adrien felt himself falling down some imaginary slippery slope from which he could never climb out of. Her hair was swept off of her neck into a simple yet elegant bun, a few stray curled hairs darker than the night left to frame her face. Good God her face. He wasn’t sure what she had done, if she had done anything at all, but her face radiated pure allure and her eyes seemed to pull all of his attention. They didn’t aim to pierce him, rather they lured him in with their soft, dark hued rims only to steal his very soul with their bright centers a moment later. Mari’s eyes were in a constant state of movement, dancing as they met all different light sources, and their color was something that Adrien could only describe as the inspiration of a perfect summer sky, the envy of the ocean.

Managing to pull away from her baby blues Adrien let his own green gems continue to trail down so that he might try to comprehend Marinette’s complete beauty (if that was even possible), neatly packaged in a dress that had to have been tailored just for her. 

The dress was the palest of pinks, as if the color were based off of a shy rose, and the rest was just as fitting of the flower. The skirt brushed just below Marinette’s knees, leaving the milky expanse of her legs to sport their smooth healthy glow. The skirt itself was composed of hairline sized pleats which, when compiled, gave the illusion of rose petals falling gently from the waist. Around said waist there was a silk band of the same nude pink, pulling the skirt in so that the dress could properly display Marinette’s stunning figure (which Adrien didn’t let himself think about for  _ too  _ long). From there on up the flowing fabric of the dress trailed into a graceful sweetheart neckline, leaving Mari’s smooth collar for the world to see. As if she wasn’t already stealing every last ounce of his control Marinette had to top off her look with a light amount of glitter, applied to her exposed chest, making her literally  _ sparkle  _ whenever she turned under the many lights. She was brilliant, giving Adrien the feeling of euphoria that accompanies the realization of finding the key to life itself.

Oh yeah. He was a goner.

Following the pull of the invisible line tying himself and Marinette together Adrien lost all preconceptions of courtesy, shoving dancers aside as though in a trance, all so that he could shorten the distance to Marinette. As he reached his hand out to shove the next dancer, never looking away from his Princess, Adrien felt a cold hand grasp his wrist. His attention was begrudgingly pulled away to meet the owner of the frigid hand, delivering Adrien with the steele glare of Chloe, who had more likely than not noticed the course he was taking and the belle awaiting him at the end of it. The awful girl put on her most synthetic air of happiness. 

  
“Adri-kins! You should totally dance with me.  _ Now _ !!” Anger accidentally slipped into the last word, and before he could object Chloe grabbed both of his hands and spun him so that his back was to Marinette. Without skipping a beat Adrien looked over his shoulder at Marinette, praying to God that this wasn’t just a beautiful dream. As Chloe tried to turn him and his attention further Adrien craned his neck until there was pain in the act, but he couldn’t let go. If he could keep his eyes on Mari then maybe she might notice him too. And, as if by magic, she did. Their eyes met and the pieces of a confusing and fuzzy world suddenly came into sharp focus, falling into one another so that they could reveal a bright picture with Marinette at the heart of it all. Just as he was about to shove Chloe aside for good Adrien was completely turned by the girl, forcing him to lose sight of Marinette.  When they circled around once more it was with a heavy heart that Adrien found where his rose once stood, 

she was gone. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which I try to eloquently wrap up this fluff and manage to use Alya and Nino to straight up give Chloe the boot outta this fic.

_He looked back at me._ Marinette felt the ember resting within her heart ignite that moment, spreading its licking flames along the branches of her lungs and down her muscles until her whole body was aflame. Adrien, who she had felt _something_ for since the moment their hands brushed with the exchange of a single umbrella, had his eyes set on _her._ She wasn’t quite sure what to call it. It may have been love, but Marinette thought she didn’t know him enough for that. It wasn’t idolization. She knew he had his flaws, that he was as human as any other boy (that didn’t seem to help her stuttering however). It was a feeling of, just, _right._ It felt right to meet Adriens gaze, to simply stare at him as he stared back at her from the dance floor. It felt like tripping through the dark only to suddenly have the world illuminated. It felt like sinking in the ocean and deciding to swim down with the tide, letting the sting of salt consume her body. More than anything it felt like she was a broken shard, her oddly shaped edges never finding their perfect match, until that very moment. The moment he pinned her with his stare was the moment she felt the pieces falling together in order to offer her the sensation of being completed, and that was something she could never let go of. Marinette saw in that brief moment her life with Adrien spread out before her like a photo album of memories yet to come. It was their future, and as Adrien’s gaze was torn away from hers she saw that Chloe had her claws wrapped around her future’s shoulders. That would not do.

In a moment of pure determination Marinette left her spot in the entrance and weaved herself throughout her dancing peers, flashing her eyes from face to face until she found the one she was looking for. Her damsel of sorts, in distress. She was going to set him free.

He hadn’t seen her, but Mari just knew that he wanted to. His head turned often, eyes wide and scanning just like hers had. She smiled to herself knowing that he felt a longing for the comfort of her face just as she did for him. Just as she always had.

When she was only a few feet from Chloe and Adrien there was a brief hesitation, a fluttering of panic in her stomach and a feeling of clammed up palms. Was this the right thing to do? Marinette thought, in that pause of time, that maybe she had simply read too far into everything. An atmosphere like this, with the glow of lights and the sway of bodies keeping time with the music, it could have that effect on people, especially a romantic like Mari. Her courage was deteriorating with every second that she watched Chloe lean her head against his shoulder, every second someone bumped against her and she could only muster a hushed apology. Adrien, for as human as she had come to see him, was still too good for her, wasn’t he?

As Marinette’s insecurities were preparing to land their final blow on her confidence a miraculous thing happened. The same unspoken magic that seemed to know exactly when it was needed intervened once more, guiding Adrien’s frantic eyes straight through to Marinette. She stiffened at his gaze upon hers, unsure of what to make of it now, until he smiled. He was relieved. The calm that washed over his face was unmistakable, dominating every last one of his beautiful features. His eyes relaxed, their focus never falling from her. His tense shoulders eased into normalcy as his hands fell to his sides. His hair, catching every light and glowing as if his personal halo even seemed to relax. If hair could do that. Looking at him Marinette knew that she was wrong to doubt herself. That what she saw, what she felt as right, _was right._ This was meant to be. This was what fate felt like.

As the beauty of the situation sank in deeper, that this was her life now, that this was reality, Mari’s ears became attuned to the sound of Chloe trying to (probably) belittle her. What was she even saying? She had to concentrate. To look away from Adrien. Mari huffed as she turned to face Chloe, feeling as though she was about to talk to a child who knew they weren’t ever going to get the toy they so desperately wanted from the toy store.

“What Chloe?” She couldn’t help but let annoyance seep into her voice.

“I _said,_ what are you looking at!?”

“Oh, I was just, you know, staring at him.” She gestured to Adrien.

“My point exactly poor girl! You have no place staring at him! Or even looking at him!!! You’re probably soiling him with your cheap...everything.” Chloe scoffed and crossed her arms, feeling secure in her beliefs of superiority.

“Hey Chloe, I have an idea. How about we ask him.”

“What was that, trash girl?”

Mari rolled her eyes at Chloe's stupid jab but continued on, knowing the way this would all pan out.

“I said, why don’t we ask Adrien. What he thinks. What he _feels._ Since he's a human being who actually has thoughts and feelings, regardless of what you wanna believe.” 

Chloe’s eyes narrowed until they were slits, her venomous reply ready to fire until she was cut off by Adrien himself.

“That’s enough Chloe.”

“But, but _Adrikins_ you can’t be serious-”

“I said stop Chloe! Marinette, she…. she doesn’t bother me.” He turned to look at Mari then. “You couldn’t bother me, I don’t think. And even if you could that’s something I want to find out myself. From lots and lots of experience with you, and your quirks, and your charms. Everything.”

Now both Mari and Chloe were speechless for two very different reasons. Before the blond could ruin the unfolding moment with one of her famous supernova temper tantrums Alya and Nino resurfaced from their isolated bubble of intoxicating adoration in order to save the day. The two carted Chloe out of the vicinity (with plenty of struggle) with the skill that only a knowing best friend could have, leaving Marinette and Adrien in the middle of the dance floor, alone but not really alone.

“Hi,” Mari exhaled her words at a near whisper.

“Hi,” Adrien’s reply matched her volume, soft and padded with affection.

“Maybe we should, um, dance? If you want?” she suggested, seeing as they were standing stalk still in the middle of the dance floor.

Adrien bridged the space between them with a single stride, taking her hands in his and guiding them to his shoulders, his own hands resting lightly on her waist, almost as if he were afraid that if he were to press any harder she would evaporate into thin air. Like she was his own dream. The thought made a bubble of laughter burst from Mari’s chest, causing Adrien to smile at the beautiful sound.

This was right. This felt right.

“What are you laughing at My Lady?”

“Just…. everything, I guess. That we’re here, that this” she nodded her head between him and herself, “is actually happening. That you called me your lady!” She laughed again and Adrien was able to join in this time. She was right. It was crazy, that in the span of a single night so much could change. That so many essential aspects of life could fall into their proper places.

“You know if I’m being too forward or _Agreste-ive_ with my words or actions you can always tell me.”

Marinette moaned and rolled her eyes at the pun. If was so ridiculous, but so him, and so something she wanted to see more of. A goofy Adrien. A happy Adrien.

“So I’m guessing puns are part of the packaged deal then?” 

“You figured it out! The cats out of the bag I guess. My weakness. _Paws-itively_ wonderful puns.”

Mari laughed again, his puns both terrible and adorable. She feigned at fake annoyance.  “Oh no! I fear the monster I’ve just released. Will serious Adrien ever return to me?” 

“Oh, I can be serious.” He leaned in close, Marinette’s breath hitching in her throat as their noses brushed.

Adrien’s eyes locked onto hers as one of his hands found its way to her cheek, fingers gently brushing her warm skin as he spoke with deep hushed words.

“I am _seriously_ in love with you, Marinette.”

He said it. He put a name to the feeling, the right. She didn’t think it was love at first, didn’t think it could be possible to have such a thing with the level of acquaintance the two had, but there it was. _Love._ It was raw and had been forming between them since they met. What else could you call your heart racing at the simple thought of a person only to have the sight of them brace you with calm clarity? Or finding the single person that made you want to face the routine of life. A person who made you want to walk the aisles of a grocery store after a long day at work, looking for a new tube of toothpaste. A person who made sitting in a long line of traffic okay, because at least in the midst of your frustration you knew that you had your person by your side, singing along to the mixtape they made you all those years ago way out of key. A person who made you want to try your hand at a Thanksgiving dinner and cringe at the burnt flavor you tasted as a result, both of you laughing as you agree that takeout was always the way to go.

Adrien made Mari long for all of these things, and apparently, she returned the favor within him.

“You love me?”

“I think love might be an understatement at this point, but it’ll have to do for now.”

He did. He loved her. This was real. This was right. The only thing left to do was to launch into their future together, headfirst, ready for life.

 “Do you wanna see a movie tomorrow night? There’s this awesome new one out about these two superheroes that know each other as civilians, but _don’t really know,_ ya know? Like they know each other, but they don’t know that they’re one another’s crime fighting partner. And apparently shenanigans ensue. Does that make sense?”

He was lost in the beautifully confusing way she tried to explain the movie to him, her way, and he could only nod, the first thought he had escaping his mouth. “I’ll see the movie with you if you’ll marry me.” 

Giggling at the statement Mari booped him on the nose with the tip of her finger.

“I think we’re a little young for that, but I’m not _kitten_ you when I say that in ten or so years, you’re on.”

With all words failing him for the millionth time that night Adrien decided that words were no longer the way to go.

Instead he leaned in and kissed her.

  
The first kiss of many that the pair would share throughout their long content lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this isn't as great as the first chapter but!!! I dunno. I feel like its okay, but I've been in a huge rut of writing? Like nothing inspires me and I feel empty and hollow inside and like a failure? But you know, that's life I guess :) I'm gonna post one more part to this thing that I really wanted to see happen so yeah it's gonna happen.


	3. Chapter 3

“So he’s in love with her, as a superheoine, and she’s in love with him as a civilian, but he only sees her as a friend as a civilian and as a hero she only sees him as a friend?”

No matter how hard he tried to make his whispers near inaudible Adrien was still met with harsh shushes from the rest of the audience. He would endure their anger, however, because he needed Mari to explain this plot. He just didn’t get it.

“I mean how do they not know? It’s ridiculous.”

She leaned in close to Adrien so that her whispers would go unheard by the rest of the crowd, her words tickling his ear as she explained.

“Yeah yeah. So you’d think it would be so obvious, right? I mean they look near the same in and out of uniform, but that’s the beauty of it I think. That they’re so caught up in kicking butt and feeling the freedom of their jobs that they don’t even, you know, notice. It’s perfect.”

Adrien huffed as he shoved a handful of popcorn into his mouth, the buttery scent wafting between him and Mari.

“I guess that makes sense, but, I don’t know. It just doesn’t sit right with me. And this guy! Adam or whatever his name is. They gave him a  _ cat suit.  _ And cat jokes. He’s a walking cheese ball.”

“Well I happen to like him as a cheese ball! He’s endearing.”

“Eugh. No thanks. But, I guess his cheese is better than his civilian’s shy perfect boy persona.”

“I dunno, I like that too. He’s a dynamic character.”

“You know what, I see what you mean.”

“About his complexities?”

“That, and the fact that he looks  _ fantastic  _ in that tight spandex. Me-ow.”

Mari threw a handful of popcorn at Adrien’s face only to have Adrien poke her in the side, causing her to squeal, inciting another round of hushes from the annoyed theatre. 

“Jeez, tough crowd.”

“I mean, you are being terribly loud Adrien. Shame on you."

“I’m not the one causing the World War III equivalent of popcorn fights.” 

“Excuse me sir, but you wound my honor.”

“I’m sorry My Lady, lemme fix that for you.”

Adrien tossed more popcorn at Mari causing them to each fall into another round of laughter among the many pieces of popcorn, eventually leading to their being escorted out of the theatre.

Once on the sidewalk the two headed toward the park down the street, holding one another's butter covered hand as they walked.

“I guess we’ll never find out what happened to our dynamic duo, huh?”

“We don't have to. I’m certain they wind up together in the end. It’s inevitable.”

“How can you be so sure?” Adrien raised an eyebrow.

“I dunno,” Mari shrugged, “just a lucky guess.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I know chapter 3 isn't really a chapter so much as a short dumb thing but I really wanted to include it. Movie dates are fun dates!!! If you liked this short short fluff please feel free to leave a kudos, and if you really wanna be an angel leave a comment! I crave feedback and maybe some words will help pull me from my writing hole of nothingness.   
> You can also follow me on tumblr! My username is lovelylittleavocado !  
> Thanks in advance and I really do hope that, if you're reading this right now, you enjoyed your read. Have a lovely rest of your day/night.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so I really really wanted to make this a short chapter-less story like my sad one (titled Where We Are), but I just couldn’t. I’m too in love with describing formal wear and making a lovestruck puppy out of our kitten boy. SO this is gonna be a little longer but hopefully not too much longer? Also yeah, I threw in a use of the word miraculous because I’m trash and it made me laugh.


End file.
